Sainsbury's and Argos are hiring 20,000 extra workers for Christmas

Some of the jobs up for grabs include shop workers, warehouse staff and drivers for home deliveries and the hourly pay for in-store and warehouse employees ranges from £12 to £13.50

Sainsbury’s has announced plans to hire 20,000 more workers for the busy Christmas period.

This includes 18,000 roles at Sainsbury’s and 2,000 at Argos. The supermarket chain will hire staff on fixed-term contracts ranging from three weeks to three months. Some of the jobs up for grabs include shop workers, warehouse staff and drivers for home deliveries. The hourly pay for in-store and warehouse employees ranges from £12 to £13.50, depending on the location and the role.

For drivers, the hourly pay is between £13 and £14.65 for drivers. Some of the perks workers will get include free food during shifts and a 10% discount across stores, rising to 15% every Friday and Saturday at Sainsbury’s and on pay day at Argos. Applications for the festive roles are open now.

Prerana Issar, the chief people officer at Sainsbury’s, said: “As the festive season draws near, we’re getting ready to create a memorable Christmas for our customers – and our brilliant colleagues play a central role in bringing this to life. Joining us during this busy time is a fantastic opportunity to meet great people and acquire skills that will stay with you long after the festive season.”

Marks and Spencer has also announced plans to hire 11,000 members of staff over Christmas. M&S is hiring for new customer assistants, who will help serve customers on the shop floor, as well as restocking shelves. Those who are interested will be able to apply for the new supermarket roles from October 9 and will be expected to start work from mid-November.

M&S operations director Sacha Berendji said: “Our fantastic store colleagues play such a big part in delivering the magic of M&S at Christmas to our customers. And this year we’re recruiting even more colleagues to ensure we’re closer to customers.

“The Christmas period is a busy but exciting time for M&S and no two days are the same – in fact, many colleagues started their M&S careers at Christmas and after the festive period were invited to go onto our Stepping Into Team Manager programme. With a range of roles and flexible working patterns available, anyone who is interested in being part of something special this Christmas should visit our careers website to apply.”

Amazon will also take on more than 15,000 staff to help service customers during the busy festive season. Amazon said pay rates will start at a minimum of £13.50 an hour, rising to £14.50 depending on location.

Operations director Anil Verma said: “We prepare year-round for the festive season, and we’re excited to have more than 15,000 positions available this year in the UK. Our seasonal colleagues play an integral role in helping us deliver an exceptional experience for our customers. We look forward to welcoming back seasonal workers who return year after year to Amazon, and to welcoming new faces to the team.”